Horsemeat webinar: animal feed the fraudsters’ next target

“Animal feed is the one area to which we all need to pay particular attention,”​ Professor Tony Hines, head of food security and crisis management at Leatherhead Food Research (LFR), told Food Manufacture’s​ webinar Horsemeat: learning the lessons of an avoidable crisis earlier this month.

“In various parts of the world – as beef consumption increases as people become more wealthy – the need for animal feed will significantly increase. And that will increase the temptation for fraud,” ​said Hines during the webinar sponsored by law firm DWF.

Late last month Professor Ian Crute, chief scientist with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, warned that Europe had become dangerous dependent on imports of vegetable protein. Europe imported food biomass produced from an area the size of Germany every year and were particularly dependent on production from South America. “A bilateral trade agreement between China and Brazil could leave Europe exposed,”​ he warned.

To defend their businesses against food fraud Hines recommended managers to “think like criminals”, repeating  advice first given last year.

'Think like criminals'​

Hines advised food and drink businesses to match their food safety regimes dedicated to Hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) with a new threat analysis focusing on detecting the opportunity for contamination and fraud. ​“​​I believe a new category here is something called temptation analysis. This is where there is a temptation to introduce fraudulent activities – be it adulteration or substitution,”​ he said.

A good starting point would be to ask where are there significant temptations for fraudulent activity in food companies supply chains? “Managers should ask: where can most value be added and what is the potential for detection?, ​he said. “What could be subject to bulk up or dilution? Is the product changed? Does it change visually? Is this ingredient expensive and are there routine tests?”​

The ‘ideal’ food fraud would involve a substitution of a high value product with cheaper material that did not alter the taste or physical characteristics of the product and was difficult to detect, he said. “If you are involved in fraudulent activity, you don’t want it to be picked up and detected after the first week. It has go on for a while, otherwise it is not economically viable.”​

Analysis should include: general food safety and quality issues, raw material costs and the cost of the adulterant materials and their availability. Other considerations included the potential rewards, and the likelihood and consequences of detection –  a financial penalty or prison.

Penalty or prison​

LFR recently launched Horizon Scan​ – a new software to aid the detection of fraud – in partnership with the Food Environment Research Association.

Hines went on to say that food fraud was invented by the Romans – especially with regard to wine – and perfected by the Victorians,  who adulterated flour with ground up bones – some human.

While the horsemeat crisis was undoubtedly “a big wake up call”,​ it posed no risk to food safety, he said.

The crisis was put into perspective by the Spanish toxic oil syndrome disaster 30 years ago, which resulted in more than 1,000 deaths  – serious injury to 25,000 people.

Missed the webinar? You can listen again to the presentations and the following question and answer session here​.

Earlier this week, consultancy group FoodChain Europe told FoodManufacture.co.uk that prosecutions following the horsemeat scandal were unlikely. Found out why here​.

Meanwhile, Food Manufacture’s Food Safety Conference takes place on Thursday October 17 2013 at the National Motorcycle Museum, Solihull, West Midlands.

More details about the conference  –  to  be chaired by Professor Colin Dennis, former president of the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST) –  are available here.